Ranked 8 of 15 states · median $731/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old landscape contractor in Oklahoma pays a median $731/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 8th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $561 from Ambetter of Oklahoma in Canadian. On highest out-of-pocket maximum, Oklahoma ranks 10 of 15 for this occupation.
Trade work concentrates cost into rare, expensive events rather than spreading it across the year. That inverts the usual shopping logic: a lower premium with a $9,200 ceiling is a worse deal than a higher premium with a $6,000 one, because the ceiling is what you actually hit. These rankings follow the ceiling.
Occupational context: Heat illness; equipment injury; pesticide exposure.
This is background for choosing a plan, not for pricing one. Since 2014 every Oklahoma exchange plan has been guaranteed issue and community rated: same age, same ZIP, same tobacco status means the same filed premium whether you are a landscape contractor or an accountant. Occupation changes the shopping criteria, nothing else.
Premium is set by rating area, so a landscape contractor in one Oklahoma county can pay materially more than one an hour away. Six counties from across the state, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kay | $747 | Mending Health | $2,300 | 3 |
| Custer | $777 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma | $3,500 | 1 |
| Noble | $777 | Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma | $3,500 | 2 |
| Lincoln | $561 | Ambetter of Oklahoma | $6,000 | 6 |
| Osage | $566 | Ambetter of Oklahoma | $6,000 | 6 |
| Murray | $568 | Medica | $3,500 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $215/month — $2,585 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $561 to $1,300. Coverage by County publishes all 77 Oklahoma counties individually.
| Oklahoma — worst-case exposure | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Lowest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $5,900 |
| Highest annual out-of-pocket maximum | $10,600 |
| Cheapest Gold plan @40 | $538 — Medica |
| Gold deductible | $1,500 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $561 — Ambetter of Oklahoma |
| Cheapest Silver @50 | $784 |
For a landscape contractor, the gap between $5,900 and $10,600 in annual out-of-pocket maximum is worth more than any premium difference on this page. One serious injury reaches that ceiling regardless of which plan you picked.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 3,724 plan records across 77 Oklahoma counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Wisconsin ($687), Michigan ($708), South Dakota ($725). More expensive: Kansas ($765), Florida ($789), Utah ($805).
Side-by-side: Oklahoma vs Michigan · Oklahoma vs South Dakota · Oklahoma vs Kansas · Oklahoma vs Florida
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether Oklahoma is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a landscape contractor weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Equipment, truck, trailer, materials, licensing. Note the ordering problem with health premiums: the §162(l) deduction lowers your AGI, and your AGI is what sets your premium tax credit, so the two calculate against each other. That is a CPA conversation and worth having before you enroll, not after.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in Oklahoma is $561 per month from Ambetter of Oklahoma, with a state median of $731. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in Oklahoma uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: HMO, PPO.
Oklahoma ranks 8 of 15 states covered here, at a median $731 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation is below the cliff in all 21 states reported.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (SOC 37-3011) in Oklahoma. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed landscape contractor. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.
Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For Oklahoma specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Landscape Contractors in Oklahoma and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
Oklahoma has 7 carriers filing across 77 counties right now. That list is rebuilt every year, so what you can choose from in November may not match what you see today — and for a landscape contractor buying your own cover, who stays matters more than the headline rate.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. Oklahoma has not finalised, so treat exact local 2027 pricing as unavailable rather than unknown.
The window opens November 1, 2026, and December 15 is the date worth writing down — it is what secures January 1 cover in Oklahoma and everywhere else. You will find later dates quoted; they stem from a 2025 rule that was vacated in June 2026 and is under appeal.
All 77 counties in Oklahoma sell a PPO, which is unusual and useful. For a landscape contractor covering ground, it is the plan type that travels best.
Nothing about 2027 is urgent yet, which is exactly why it is worth ten minutes now. Come November you will be choosing between Oklahoma’s carriers under a deadline; today you can do it without one.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
Two Landscape Contractors on opposite sides of Oklahoma can be quoted very different premiums for the same plan. Your ZIP is what decides it.